Phoenix
by d27h
Summary: Sakuno has been gone for two years now. Ryoma doesn't know why, and he doesn't know how to stop thinking about her. One day, he meets her unexpectedly next to his old middle school and learns that Sakuno's life is in danger. He makes up his mind, deciding to give Sakuno a home and a haven. However, this might just be getting him in danger too. Cont d from Hot Chocolate Hearts.
1. Prologue

**Phoenix**

_Hey, it's D27H. This is the second part of Hot Chocolate Hearts. As you already know, Prince of Tennis is not my manga and the characters are not mine either. Phoenix has a totally different mood from HCH, but I hope you will still enjoy it._

**Prologue**

It's an unusually cold mid-spring day. The clouds are low and heavy, threatening rain. There is a surprisingly little amount of people on the city streets. Bright lights and advertisements screaming out their products are everywhere.

A young girl with auburn hair is walking down the street, glancing up occasionally to make sure that no lightning has started flashing. In front of her is an older woman wearing a blue and white jacket. The older woman is grumbling about the chill and the cold, despite the fact that her jacket is much thicker than the younger girl's.

"Damn! I forgot to bring an umbrella." the older woman growls as distant thunder rumbles. The young girl nods and stops in front of a small shop.

"We can get one here, Grandmother." she says, looking over the colorful display. "Look, that one is pretty cheap." The umbrella in question is a flimsy blue thing.

The grandmother shrugs. "It's probably going to break right when we get home, but in the meantime..."

Almost as if on cue, the rain starts coming down, first in a light, fuzzy drizzle and escalating into thick sheets of water falling from the heavens. Quickly, the young girl hands over the money for two umbrellas, one gray and one blue. She hands the blue one to her grandmother, who thanks her. Together, they walk down the street.

"Hey, do you think we can visit Seishun Gakuen again?" the young girl asks. Her grandmother thinks.

"I think it's safe now, but I don't know. Let's see." the grandmother muses. "And besides, you're going to be a first year in high school in a little while! You have to take studies seriously. You've always been a smart girl, but high school is much harder than middle school. Remember that."

"Hai." the girl says.

There is silence for the next couple of minutes. It's a long way back home, for the two, and with the young girl warning her to watch her steps every couple of minutes and the frustratingly slow streetlights of a work day, the time stretches out for even longer. After the fifth red crossing light they stop at, the grandmother sighs deeply and turns left. The young girl yelps and hurries after her. "Grandmother! Where are you going?"

"This is an alternate path that I found on my way back from the tennis courts. It takes a little longer, but there aren't any godforsaken traffic lights here." the grandmother says. The young girl does not argue, but her steps are tentative.

In this area, there are fewer people than on the main street. The grandmother complains about the trash next to the buildings. Indeed, there is a lot of garbage strewn about; a toy horse is rocking pathetically next to one of the few trash cans, a torn-open plastic bag lies on its side, rotting vegetables spilling out, a dirty rag flutters from a random hook in the wall. The young girl looks around uncomfortably.

Soon, the pair reaches a large gap between two buildings. The grandmother peers down the long alley and starts down it. For the first time, the young girl grabs her sleeve and whispers her objections.

"Ah, you're too careful. Our building is right down the street." the grandmother tells her.

The young girl can see bright light seeping in from the other side of the alley and, biting her lip, follows her grandmother down the alley.

About halfway down, another little path deviates off from the main one. It's more of a crack in the wall than a path, with dirt and grime all over the ground and weeds gasping for air from the space between the concrete and the building. At the end of this path, there is a door with a black steel fence covering it. The grandmother glances at the path and moves on.

They are almost out of the alley when suddenly, something hits the young girl. Hard. The air in her lungs is punched out and she falls forward. Her grandmother whirls around to see the attacker.

Something flies out of nowhere and hits the young girl in the forehead, rendering her unconscious. Right before she is completely lost, however, she can hear her grandmother shouting, "It was you, wasn't it?"

When the girl finally wakes up, hours later, there is a group of people around her. "The poor thing," a tearful woman is murmuring.

The young girl sits up. "What-"

Then she sees the blood sprayed across the dirty cement, the still body of her grandmother, the rusty crowbar. Her hand slowly rises up to her mouth. A man notices her looking and moves to block her. She pushes him aside, along with numerous other people and two policemen, and crouches besides her grandmother. Her barely controlled sniffles now erupt in full-blown wails.

And for the first time in years, she thinks of the boy with the golden eyes.


	2. Chapter 1

**Phoenix**

_Hello! The prologue took a lot of effort to write, actually, because I usually about dramatic things, and that's pretty dramatic, but...yeah, I don't usually put in so much detail. Well, enjoy the story, and leave reviews!_

**Chapter 1**

_Smack. Smack. Smack_. I rushed up to the net after a series of good forehands, preparing to volley. Instead, the opponent sent the ball sailing easily past me, much faster than any normal ball should go. I turned and dashed after it, preparing to hit an under-the-legs shot, but just as my strings were supposed to make contact with the ball, it disappeared, just like Fuji-senpai's Disappearing Serve. I hit the ground more roughly than I ever had in my life and I felt my ankle give way under me. What happened? I limped off to the side, keeping the weight off of my foot. The crowd started booing and howling.

That's when I looked up in the audience. She was there, her auburn hair tied into braids. I hadn't seen her in so long. However, when I looked a little more closely, I noticed that her eyes were dead and her fists were clenched. She looked up and I could hear her say, despite all the noise, "Ryoma?"

"Sakuno!" I said, dropping my racket and running up the stands, hand outstretched. Just as I touched her fingertips, though, a bolt of lightning lashed across the sky. Sakuno squealed and grabbed my hand, pulling my closer to her. Her hand, however, felt soft and fluffy, just like the fur of-

"KARUPIN!" I bellowed as I sat up in bed. He had slept on my face again, suffocating me and heating me up a couple degrees that I didn't want. Karupin meowed, a smug look on his feline features, and strutted out of my room. I growled after him to stay away and flopped back down. A pool of sweat had collected on my pillow again. This year had the worst summer that I could remember.

The dream disturbed me. It wasn't the first time I had thought of her since she left, but it was the only time that it wasn't a memory. She had been gone for, what, two years now? In the middle of the second year of middle school, Sakuno had simply vanished. Even her best friend, Tomoka, had been baffled and frightened. She had accused me of scaring her off or something along those lines. In all honesty, I had thought that _she_ had done something.

I received two clues as to what happened when two strange newspaper articles appeared, each a month or so apart. The first one was of a man and a woman murdered in their hotel rooms in London. What alarmed me was that the father's surname was Ryuzaki.

Sakuno's surname.

The second, and final, article was that an elderly woman was found dead in an alley with an unconscious girl next to her. The grainy picture had a girl with braids facing away from the picture taker, bowing her head to the older woman's body. I knew at one glance that the old woman was Ryuzaki-sensei and the girl was Sakuno. My Sakuno.

My father, the Old Man, called my name from downstairs. "Hey! Breakfast!"

I shouted back a reply and brushed my teeth quickly. It was when I sat down at the table that I realized: I hadn't changed out of my pajamas.

Old Man gave me a strange look. "Well, something's bothering you."

"What would an old perv like you know." I grumbled, standing up to get clothes. Dad didn't reply. He knew better.

An old, faded t-shirt and a pair of tennis shorts was lying on my desk, so that's what I put on. I realized, with a sense of nostalgia, that the t-shirt was the one that Ryuzaki-sensei had given me when I stayed at Sakuno's house a couple years back. My stomach turned, remembering the gruesome murder of Sakuno's grandmother. I shook my head, forced the thought out of my head, and clomped back downstairs.

The Old Man was gone, probably outside reading his dirty magazines again. I sighed and washed my dishes, then put on a pair of shoes and headed outside.

On days when it was too hot to play tennis without risking heatstroke, like today, I would take a walk down to Seishun Gakuen- or, Seigaku- and see which idiots made the mistake of hitting. It didn't seem like anyone was here today, which was good, because I didn't want to call an ambulance like I did last week. That wasn't pretty; the guy had vomited, then passed out. I was the only one with a phone.

On the way there, I passed Eiji-senpai and Fuji-senpai, who were sitting outside an ice cream shop. Eiji challenged Fuji to beat him in a video game, to which Fuji had laughed and said "I'll make you suffer, boy." They didn't see me, which was good, because I didn't want to be dragged into a video game tournament.

Finally, I reached the courts. It was the same as I had remembered; the regularly cleaned courts, the ball carts and hoppers resting against the bathroom wall. A single tennis ball sat outside the gate. I picked it up and bounced it as I walked.

A weeping willow that had been planted recently was standing stubbornly on the other side of the courts. I liked that tree; it was hardy and beautiful. Sakuno had once said that the only living thing she liked more than that weeping willow was a certain cat. With a hint of annoyance, I told her that if she ever got a cat like Karupin, she would regret it. Sakuno laughed. "He's just like you; you just don't realize it." she said, giggling.

I had grumbled and gave her braid a gentle, playful tug.

Usually, the lone bench underneath the tree was empty. That was what I had been hoping for so that I could sit under the tree and think. This time, however, I was a little unlucky. Someone was sitting there with their hands on their knees. He- from my distance, it looked like a boy- was sitting there, occasionally looking around. A red baseball cap rested on his head and two bags- one a large suitcase, the other a backpack that was overstuffed- lay by his feet. He wore a wrinkled short-sleeved button-down and baggy red shorts that were, in my opinion, a little too short for a male. A thin red tie hung down his neck. Why he was dressed like he was going to a formal beach party, I don't know. I guess he didn't notice me, because he didn't make any motion of noticing me. With a sigh, I sat down on the bench that was nearest me and waited for the guy to leave.

He didn't. After about an hour, I got impatient. He still hadn't seen me, which I suppose was part of the reason he hadn't left. I stood up and cut across the courts towards him. He finally noticed me and rocketed to his feet, the backpack in his hands in a flash. Strange.

That's when I realized that his shorts weren't shorts; it was a skirt. "He" had a bit of a chest, too.

He was a girl.

I finally noticed the brown ponytail jutting out from the hole in the cap. Underneath her tie, a gold chain was visible. The buttons on her button-down were on the left side, making it clear that it was a female's shirt.

Her baseball cap was still on, so I couldn't really see her face. But with the next word that she said, I knew who it was.

"Ryoma?"


	3. Chapter 2

**Phoenix**

_Wow. Chapter one turned out much better than I thought it would...well, please continue to review and (this is a strange request, but PLEASE comply) point out any errors or rough spots to me! Thanks!_

**Chapter 2**

_Sakuno_. _Ryuzaki._ She was standing in front of me. The girl that I had missed and looked for for two years. I didn't know how to say what I was feeling, not in Japanese or English, not in any language.

"Ryoma!" she cried out. Immediately, a flood of tears started cutting tracks down her uncharacteristically grimy face. "Ry-ry-"

I held my arms out for her. Without her usual "arigato" or "gomennasai", she collapsed and bawled into my shirt. Her hat fell off and landed in a clump of grass on the ground.

"Sakuno! What- where have you been?" I asked her.

She just shook her head and continued to wail.

Looking closely, I could see that the absence of polite words and her dirty face weren't the only changes. Her hair was shorter now, and the ends that were once straight were now slightly curled. There were no braids, either; instead, her hair was in a high, neat ponytail. She was also a little taller, still not as tall as I was, but definitely noticeable. When I looked down, I noticed, with some awkwardness, that she had developed a chest. Her skin was also paler, as if she had rarely went outside.

The refined girl that I once knew was now a crying, scared mess clinging to my shirt.

"Hey, hey, what-" I gripped her shoulders and held her out at arm's length. Sakuno stopped her sniffling and swept her arm across her face, accomplishing nothing but smearing the dirt across her face.

"Grandmother- and Mother- and Father-" she managed, hiccuping in between words.

Then I remembered. Her grandmother had been murdered, just like her mother and father. "Wait, then how did you get here?"

"I told police to take me back here." Sakuno told me in a much more stable voice. "I said that I knew people here."

"Where are you going to stay?"

She looked away. "I don't know."

I let go of her. "Then it's settled."

Her eyes snapped back to me. "I'm not staying with you."

"Why?"

"It's...then I'm just going to be a bother to you."

"Well, you don't really have a place to stay, then."

Sakuno's bottom lip started quivering again. I sensed that I had said something wrong. "Gomen- but...what did I say..."

Footsteps on the tennis courts. I looked up and saw Fuji and Eiji walking quickly in my direction. "Hey- is that Sakuno-chan?"

"Ohayo, Fuji-sen- _hic_- senpai, Eiji-senpai," Sakuno said, true to her personality. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"My goodness, you look-" Fuji gave her a quick once-over with his careful eyes. "-miserable."

I glared at him, a hard, cold glare that said, "Don't go there." He got it and whispered something to Eiji, who nodded and turned to me.

"Was she here when you got here?" he asked.

"Yeah."

Eiji directed his attention back to Sakuno. "Sakuno-chan, how long have you been in town?"

"About two days."

"Then how come I haven't seen you?" I demanded.

Sakuno shrunk under the looks of us three. "I- I kind of hid..."

Fuji _oh_ed. Eiji and I questioned him with our eyes. Fuji said, in that mysterious, creepy way of his, "She might have been hiding from whoever tried to murder her and her family."

Sakuno exploded in tears again. "_Don't say that!"_

Eiji slapped Fuji on the arm. "Dude!"

Fuji bit his bottom lip and tried to calm Sakuno down. "Hey, gomen, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that."

Sakuno rubbed her eyes and fought down her cries. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay."

It sounded more like she was reassuring herself than Fuji. "Sakuno, seriously, you can stay at my place." I told her. This time, Eiji and Fuji agreed that it would be a good idea and Sakuno couldn't refuse. I grabbed her duffel bag and led Sakuno to my house while Fuji and Eiji took up the rear, keeping an eye out.

The Old Man was more than surprised to see Sakuno. "Sakura!?"

"Sakuno," Sakuno corrected.

"Oh. Gomen. But..." Surprisingly, my father had more sense in him than he showed to me every day, because he didn't say anything about Sakuno's parents and grandmother. "So. You'll be needing a room, right? You can take the one across the hall from Ryoma's."

"Arigato gozemaimasu." she said with a tiny bow. I pointed out the room. I knew what it looked like on the inside; it was one of the smallest rooms in the house, and it had no window, but honestly, that was a good thing for Sakuno. It wasn't a good idea to risk having the person who was after her see her. The bed was pushed against the wall on the far right. A desk stood in the left corner. There was a closet built into the wall. At the head of the bed, there was a small table with a lamp and two shelves. Sakuno was visibly satisfied with the arrangements, because she began putting her clothes in the closet and her books in the shelves at once.

"Is this good?" I asked her, referring to the room.

"It's great!" she told me excitedly. "It's bigger than the room I had in..." Her enthusiasm suddenly died.

"Oh, that's good," I filled in, trying to keep her from crying again. "Do you want to eat anything?"

Sakuno nodded. "Arigato."

I ran downstairs, poured popcorn in a dish, grabbed a water bottle, shouted a quick hello to Fuji and Eiji- who were talking to my dad about something- and dashed back upstairs. Sakuno had already put all her clothes up and was sticking something onto the wall.

I set the things down on the desk and fell backwards onto the bed. "Agh! I don't think I've ever run that fast in my house."

Sakuno smiled and sat down next to me. "I don't think I've ever run outside of the tennis courts."

"Come on, that can't be true."

Sakuno shrugged. "I don't know, I don't like to run, so..."

I pushed myself to my elbows. "I can attest to that."

She laughed.

Eiji stuck his head in the door. "Hey, you two, Fuji and I are leaving. Ryoma, you make sure nobody..."

"I got it." I said before he could add more on. "See you."

Eiji nodded and ducked back down the hallway, shutting the door behind him. For some reason, he was laughing loudly.

Apparently, Sakuno knew what the laughter was signaling, because she started fidgeting. Color had risen in her face.

"What?"

She shook her head and stood up. "If you don't mind, I want to change."

"Okay." I rose to my feet and opened the door. "By the way, if you need any new clothes, just let me know."

"Arigato."

I closed the door behind me walked to my room across the hall, where I promptly tripped over Karupin. The cat meowed as I groaned from the floor.

"_GAH!_" I snapped and grabbed for Karupin, who pranced over my stomach and used my face as a launchpad to sprint down the stairs. "_Stupid cat_!"

My father started laughing from downstairs. I grumbled and hauled myself to my feet, using the bedpost to help me.

"You okay?" Sakuno called out from somewhere behind me. I looked over my shoulder.

"I'm fine."

Sakuno was standing in front of her door, a worried expression on her face. "You're sure? That was a loud fall you took."

"Yeah...I'm good."

My eyes were drawn to the necklace that Sakuno wore around her neck. It was the same one from earlier, but this time the charm at the end of the chain was exposed. I couldn't really tell what it was, but it looked like a red bird of some kind.

Sakuno noticed me looking at her necklace and took it off. "It's a phoenix. The red stuff on the bottom is a fire. There's a western legend that the phoenix, when it's about to die, burns itself and is reborn from the ashes. I like that story. Grandmother bought it for me on the street when we went to Tokyo a couple of years ago. I didn't wear it until we moved."

"That's cool."

"Reborn from ashes," Sakuno mused. "I like that."


	4. Chapter 3

**Phoenix**

_So you know what happened now. I told you it would be a totally different mood from HCH. :) Also, this story might be a bit longer and more detailed than HCH. Well, enjoy! P.S. It might be longer in between chapters starting a week from now. Hope I don't disappoint!_

**Chapter 3**

"Wow," Sakuno breathed out. My mother had prepared a meal fit for a king to welcome Sakuno.

"A new daughter!" Mother had squealed.

"Now, now, Rinko, she might be our daughter-_in-law_ soon. No need to claim her now." Dad snickered.

Sakuno's face flushed. "I- no, I-"

Nanako, my cousin, shook her head. "Uncle, don't tease her like that." To Sakuno, she whispered, "He's always going off about one girl or another, in one way or another...you know what I mean."

Sakuno covered her mouth to hide her grin.

I picked at the steamed vegetables in my bowl. For some strange reason, I wasn't hungry. Everything was admittedly great, but my stomach wasn't growling like it usually was. Instead, I felt full. Then I remembered that I had gorged myself on popcorn.

Sakuno tried to keep her intake to a minimum, but everyone, including my father and I, urged her to eat more, get more meat on her bones. Apparently, having to hide away for two years drained energy and stole muscle. Sakuno thanked my father and my mother multiple times before she took more.

After dinner, everyone dispersed. Mother and Nanako went out to shop, I guess, Father went up to his room, and Sakuno and I sat on the couch in the living room. I watched the TV while Sakuno drew something on a piece of paper. Strangely enough, I didn't even like the show that was on. I suppose I just didn't want to stare at Sakuno the whole time.

Every once in a while, Sakuno would sigh and erase something with vigor. Even then, I didn't look over at her.

"Hey," Sakuno finally said, prodding me with her pencil. "Do you like it?"

I glanced over. She had drawn a picture of a ballerina dancing on point. It was a great rendition; everything from the shine of the shoes to the flair of the dress as the girl spun was captured. There were even little people in the background. One looked a lot like her Grandmother.

"Hey, is that you?" I asked, noticing the phoenix necklace resting on the ballerina's exposed neck.

"Yeah. Is it good?"

"It's great."

"I copied it off of this." Sakuno pulled a photo out from next to her. It was identical to the drawing; Sakuno was wearing a layered orange dress and her hair up in a bun at the top of her head. Indeed, her grandmother was sitting in the audience, clapping.

"Your hair looks like it did on the day of the Winter Dance in our first year of middle school."

"Ah! Yeah, it does." Sakuno said. I didn't look at her face, but I could hear the nostalgic smile in her voice. "Oh, hang on." She stood up and hurried upstairs to get something from her room. Soon, she returned with a metal box in her hands. With nearly inaudible footsteps, she sat back down and opened the box.

Inside, there were countless photographs. The one at the top was of Sakuno and Tomoka, with Tomoka holding bunny ears up behind Sakuno's head. I smirked at the picture, not because Sakuno had the bunny ears, but because Sakuno was doing to same to Tomoka without her knowledge. Sakuno sifted through the box, flashes of different pictures reaching me. There was one of Sakuno's Grandmother standing in front of the Seigaku tennis courts, yelling at the tennis team; another one had a picture of Sakuno holding Karupin up in front of her; yet another showed me lying on the grass, asleep, while Sakuno lay next to me and held up the camera.

Finally, she picked out a photo of the Winter Dance. The edges were folded and the paper was starting to turn yellow from being in inhospitable conditions, but I could see the people on it just fine. It was the picture that Momo had took without me knowing. Sakuno had seen Momo sneak up behind us and was pointing at the camera, but she was just a little too late. In the picture, I was looking at her with a confused and open expression on my face.

_This was just before I kissed her outside_, I realized.

Sakuno gazed at the photo for a little while, then put it back in her box and shut the lid. "I remember it."

It took me a while to figure out that she was referring to the kiss. "Oh. Well, who would forget their first?"

Sakuno leaned back. "That's true."

We sat there silently, listening to the TV. After a couple of minutes, I saw that Sakuno's fists were clenched tightly on her knees.

"What's wrong?"

Sakuno swallowed hard. "I'm still scared."

"Nanako is a black belt in karate. I wouldn't worry. She knocked a guy out with her hand once after he tried to hit me."

"But what if she's not around? What if it's just you and me? I don't want to put any of you in danger or anything."

Sakuno looked so worried, it was cute. "I still wouldn't worry. I took a little karate when I was a kid."

She nodded. "But still."

"But nothing, Ryuzaki."

Sakuno blushed and ducked her head, remembering how I used to refer to her. I patted her head. She ducked even further.

"Well, isn't this touching," my father said, a smirk on his face, as he gazed down at us from the top of the stairs. Sakuno and I pushed ourselves away from each other. The Old Man laughed even harder and retreated to somewhere.

"That surprised me." Sakuno said, scooting a little closer to me.

"He does that all the time. Once, I did a project with a girl named Irie, and my dad was making kissy noises the whole time."

"_Ew_!" Sakuno started laughing while wrinkling her nose.

Now would be the best time to say that I still loved Sakuno. I hadn't seen her for such a long time and I didn't even know if I would still have feelings for her.

Now, it was clear; not only were the fires rekindled, but the flames leaped even higher.

I woke with a start in the middle of the night. It was dark and quiet. There were no footsteps, voices, or cars, which was strange, because the road that I lived on was pretty busy. My father's occasional snores broke the silence, but I couldn't shake off the eerie feeling that I got.

I looked at my clock. It was only two fourteen in the morning. Why did I even wake up? I was usually a pretty heavy sleeper.

A crash came from downstairs. Maybe that was it. I quietly grabbed my tennis racket and crept outside.

Nanako had the same idea. She was already on the staircase, putting each foot down slowly and carefully. Her hands were up. She put a finger over her mouth to tell me to be quiet. I sneered and stomped down the stairs, swinging my racket. Nanako's jaw dropped and it was obvious that she didn't approve of my tactic, but she did the same anyways.

A huge crashing noise met me the moment I set my foot down on the first floor. It came from the kitchen. I hefted my racket over my shoulder and rushed in, roaring.

Nobody was there.

Nanako came barreling in after me, but she stopped when she saw that the kitchen was completely empty too. "What the-" she began. Then she gasped and pointed at the back door.

The back door had three layers; the first was a screen door, on the outside. The second was a thick layer of insulating plastic. The last was glass. The screen had been completely ripped open and the plastic was badly dented. Part of it had a piece hanging in, just barely touching the glass part.

"Holy." I said, unable to do much more than that.

It was obvious; someone knew that Sakuno was here, and they weren't going to go easy on us.


	5. Chapter 4

**Phoenix**

_Let me go over some important things: I don't own Prince of Tennis. Besides the three police officers and the criminal, these characters are not mine, even though I do change a couple things about them. Okay, that was pretty much it...enjoy!_

**Chapter 4**

"This is probably the craziest thing I've seen this year," the police officer- Officer Yamada- said, looking at the dents and scrapes in the door.

Sakuno stood, frozen, in the living room, casting nervous glances at the front windows every couple of minutes. Nanako had her arm around Sakuno's shoulder, reassuring her.

It was already late afternoon. This morning, Nanako and I had lied to Sakuno, telling her it was just a cat, then ran to my parents` room and told them what had happened. My mother, the sensible one, said that we shouldn't tell the police until it was the middle of the day so that Sakuno wouldn't be as scared.

Apparently, that tactic didn't work.

When Sakuno saw the door, she turned to me and said, with a voice dripping hate (towards who, I don't know), "Cats don't do that."

I had caved in and told her what happened. Immediately, she panicked. Thank goodness for Nanako; skilled with both her hands and her voice.

My dad was talking to Yamada. "Can't we get a guard or something? The girl, Ryuzaki-"

The police officer held his hand up. "I know about the girl. If you want a guard, that's fine, but then you have to go through the hassle of telling him where you are going every day."

The Old Man gritted his teeth. "That's bothersome, though."

"It's for your safety. But it will still cost you. Quite a bit, actually."

I looked away, disgusted. Sakuno's life was at stake and they couldn't even bother setting up a guard or two without making it all about money. I mean, money wasn't a problem for my family, but come on. Is human life really comparable to money?

My mother sighed. She probably thought the way I did, but true to her personality, she let my father take care of it, even though she was the smart one.

Nanako waved me over. She had sat Sakuno down on the couch and was trying to talk to Sakuno about school, to no avail; Sakuno just hugged a pillow tightly to her chest and buried her face in it.

"Do something," Nanako hissed at me as she brushed by to join my father.

Sakuno pulled her face out of the pillow when I sat down but didn't say anything. I put an arm around her and pulled her closer to me. She squeezed the pillow.

At this point, Nanako had started grilling Yamada on how he should be able to provide some sort of guard for Sakuno, given that she had no identifiable relatives to live with and was therefore under the care of the police. My father left the argument to her, as he was unable to come up with anything himself.

"Are they-" I heard Sakuno say in a sqeaky voice. "Are they going to come after us again?"

"We'll see." I told her, wishing that I knew.

"Please tell them they aren't. I don't want them to."

She sounded so much like a child. One who was strangely insistent, even though they were usually never needy.

"I can't promise that, Ryuzaki."

She hid her face again.

Nanako and Yamada finally stopped arguing long enough for my mother to ask if there were any fingerprints. The officer shook his head. "Ma'am, I just got here. The backup isn't here yet."

At that moment, another police car pulled up in front of the house. Yamada went to the front of the house. Two men came out of the car.

"Hey, is the area cleared?" the shorter one- Sato- asked. Yamada nodded.

"You have the dust?"

The taller officer- Watanabe- pulled a bag out from the passenger seat. Yamada led them through the house to the back. Sato whistled when he saw the damage.

"Gosh. The girl must be really important to him." he said.

"Her name is Ryuzaki," Nanako snapped. "Call her that."

"Nanako-san, it's okay, you don't have to make them call me by my name." Sakuno said hoarsely. Nanako looked at her with worry in her eyes and shrugged.

"Ryuzaki, the three people who were...taken from us a while back, all of them were your family?" Watanabe asked gently. At once, I liked him better than I did Yamada.

"Ye-yes..."

"Do you have any idea as to why you would be targeted?"

"My-my father had some enemies..."

I looked at her with alarm. "You told me that your father and mother had jobs that required them to travel a lot."

"They did. They were missionaries-"

"You're Christian?"

Sakuno nodded. "Sometimes, they had to promote Christianity in places where a lot of people disapproved...I remember once, a man threatened to murder my dad and his family..."

"Why would a man hate a missionary? I mean-"

"Do you know who this man was?" Watanabe interrupted.

"Yeah... Alyec Kovalev. It's a Russian name."

Watanabe and I both were surprised. "Russia is predominately Christian, though." Watanabe remarked.

"Yes."

Sato waved. "I think I got something."

The whole door was covered in a fine gray dust. One area in particular was much darker. Looking closer, it was a huge blob of fingerprints.

Yamada squinted. "Is it even possible to get a single fingerprint from this?"

Sato pointed. "That's an isolated sample."

Watanabe took numerous pictures of the single fingerprint and more of the whole scene.

After a while, Yamada and the other two left. They told us that they would see about getting a guard, which, to me, meant that they wouldn't. Sakuno had recovered, to some degree.

"I don't like Yamada." Nanako grumbled to me. I nodded.

"Come on, now, they're law enforcement. They're meant to help us and protect us." Mother said.

Right.

"Hey, Ryoma?" Sakuno's soft voice called from outside my room. I sat up, accidentally pitching the book that I had been reading onto the floor. The clattering noise it made must've startled Sakuno, because she pushed open the door and looked in with wide eyes.

"Yeah, hi, Sakuno. Sorry, I was...I was reading..." I fumbled around on the ground for the book. Sakuno dropped into a deep bow.

"Go-gomennasai-" she stuttered.

Unceremoniously, I tossed the book onto my desk, making a loud _thonk_. "Agh, it's fine, it was boring me half to death anyways." That was true. My mother had wanted me to finish a brick-weighted book about the history of Japan so that I would be more prepared for school.

"Oh. Okay then." Sakuno crossed my room and sat besides me on the bed. With a bit of unease, I felt her warm leg against mine. "Well, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about today."

"Why would you be?"

"I'm the reason why whoever it was tried to break in!"

"Oh, come on, we don't know that."

"You know it's true."

I swallowed. She had me there. Why else would someone break into our house? We didn't own any valuables worth stealing. We weren't high, important people who could be held for ransom. We didn't-

"Ryoma?" Sakuno waved her hand in front of my face.

"Oh. Yeah." I snapped back into reality. "What?"

"I also wanted to thank you again for letting me stay at your house. It...means a lot. To me."

"Oh, okay, um...you're welcome?" Inside, I cursed myself for not being able to come up with anything intelligent.

Sakuno laughed. She stood up and, almost as if it were an afterthought, gave me a quick peck on the forehead.

After she left, I sat there, stupid. It had been a while since either of us openly showed affection, and this was completely unexpected.

If it weren't for the book that I had to finish, I would've sat there all night, trying to remember my name.


	6. Chapter 5

**Phoenix**

_Hello! Hope you're enjoying Phoenix so far. From what I can see, Phoenix is going to be a LOT longer than Hot Chocolate Hearts. I guess this one just has more to write about. Forgive me; I'm not very good at romance. I'm more of a mystery/tragedy writer, likes to write murder scenes... you know what I mean, right? Haha, enjoy!_

**Chapter 5**

"Seriously? Some crazy guy tried to break in?" Oishi repeated my words, horrified. Eiji looked excited while Fuji was... Fuji.

I nodded and took another sip out of my water bottle.

It's been a week since the incident. Still, we've been on our guard and have let Sakuno out of the house only if Nanako or I am with her. Right now, both Nanako and I were out with her; I was playing doubles with Fuji against Oishi and Eiji, the Golden Pair. We were losing.

Nanako and Sakuno watched us from the fence. Occasionally, Nanako would become very animated, shouting "Go, Ryoma!" and miming hitting a ball. Sakuno, being who she was, stood to the side and simply clapped whenever anyone hit a good shot. It reminded me of Tomoka and Sakuno and how they used to cheer at the Seigaku games.

Fuji looked down at his watch. "Gah, I forgot to get things for my mom. Sorry, but I think I have to go." He dropped his tennis racket into his bag and gave the girls a wave on his way out.

Oishi kept his attention on me. "Did the police get you a guard or something?"

"No. Costs money."

"That's stupid." Eiji said.

I agreed with him and tried, in vain, to parry off Oishi's worried questions. Eventually, Nanako had to step in.

"Oishi-san, I think we have to go. Sorry." She winked at me. I smiled back at her, understanding her intentions.

Oishi pursed his lips the way a strict, old teacher might. "Okay...but if you need anything..." He hefted his racket suggestively.

Nanako led the way back home. "That kid really worries about you, Ryoma... You should appreciate friends like him."

I just nodded.

Nanako stopped in front of a café. "Do you guys want anything?"

Sakuno and I shrugged at the same time.

"Okay. I'll get each of you juice or something, then." She disappeared into the little shop. Sakuno sat down at one of the outdoor tables.

"You played as well as always," she told me, beaming.

"Eh."

"No, really! I can't play like that. You're really good."

"I'm pretty sure Taka-senpai once said that as long as you work hard, it's all okay. Listen to him, okay?"

Sakuno nodded and looked down at the table, scraping at a patch of dried coffee. "Ryoma?"

"Mm?"

Sakuno looked back up at me, eyes bright with hope. "Do you think I could ever be as good as you?"

Before I could answer, Nanako burst out of the shop, carrying a can of grape Fanta, a bottle of orange juice, and a cup of iced coffee. She set the respective drinks down in front of us. Almost out of instinct, I popped the tab of the soda and tilted my head back, feeling the bubbles fizz and pop in my mouth. Sakuno thanked Nanako and took a much smaller, much more gentle sip out of her juice.

"The guy in the store was so _rude_!" Nanako proclaimed, stabbing the straw into her cup. She missed and ended up crushing the straw into an accordion against the table.

"I'll get another straw." Sakuno volunteered. She ran back inside and came right back out with two paper-wrapped straws.

Nanako continued on with her rant as if nothing had happened. "He tried to hit on me and made so many inappropriate comments about everything, from my shirt-" Here, she fingered her favorite, worn-out green workout shirt. "-to what I was buying!"

"Oh. What did he say about what you were buying?" I asked.

"He said that my choices were lame and that I should consult him about what to buy. And then he looked at me..._there_." She slapped her hand down on the table, causing people to look at us strangely.

Sakuno bit her bottom lip. "Well, that happens a lot to me..."

"Ugh. How do you not get the urge to kill them?" Nanako slurped at her iced coffee.

I turned to Sakuno. "Are you serious? People actually do that? Like, they look?"

Sakuno ducked her head. "...yeah."

I realized that I had unconsciously done 'that' a couple of times too, like when I saw Sakuno sitting under the willow tree. It was how I realized that she wasn't a boy, but a girl.

"Let's not talk about this." Nanako growled.

I threw my hands up. "You started it."

Nanako threw me a dirty look and continued drinking.

Karupin purred and batted at Sakuno's ponytail as she wound her fingers through his stomach fur. Gently, she laughed and cradled one of his paws in her hand. I was just a little jealous; if I even touched Karupin's feet, he would attack me. Nonetheless, he was a good listener and a better-than-average snuggle buddy in the winter.

There was heavy sunlight coming in through the windows. In the direct light, Sakuno's brown hair turned into a blazing red color and the delicate blood vessels underneath her skin were even more visible. She looked so fragile like that, almost like a china doll. I sat down on the couch next to her, my back facing the windows, so that the sun didn't get into my eyes.

"Meow, meow, meow, Karupin." Sakuno cooed. Karupin wiggled and lolled, turning so that her fingers would find even more spots to tickle.

"He loves you." I said. Sakuno smiled up at me. Karupin seemed to understand, because he stood up and rubbed against Sakuno's legs.

Now I felt betrayed.

"He loves you too. See?" Sakuno lifted the fat Himalayan cat up, exposing his creamy tummy. Karupin touched his nose against mine and licked my cheek.

"He never does that!" I protested, half-joking.

"Because you're always telling him to get off of your face!" Sakuno said, breaking down in laughter.

"You heard me shouting in the mornings?" I asked, letting the slightest of smiles creep over my face.

Sakuno nodded vigorously. "And in the middle of the night."

"Gomen."

"It's okay, I always start laughing when I hear that."

Karupin pushed his head under Sakuno's chin and pawed at her neck. She scratched by his ear and he relaxed, going limp in her lap. Suddenly, he perked up and darted away to the front door. I heard my father roaring, "KARUPIN! STAY INSIDE!"

"Oh no, is he going to be okay outside?" Sakuno stood up and was ready to go after the cat. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down gently.

"He'll be fine. He just wants to go down to the fish market to get free samples." I put my hands behind my head. Sakuno looked uneasy, but she dropped the subject. "I don't get why you're always so worried about things."

"I- that's just how I grew up, I guess."

I nodded lazily and closed my eyes. Abruptly, something whacked my nose. My eyes flew open.

Sakuno was dangling a stick of Pocky in front of me. "Do you want one?"

I shrugged and stuck the Pocky in my mouth. The chocolate started melting at once, and I indulged in the warm sweetness.

Sakuno bit the chocolate-free part of her Pocky off. I tilted my head at her.

"It's something that Grandmother and I used to do." Sakuno said quietly. "She always said the the best follows the worst."

Wow, I thought. Psychic.

"She's right." I told her, putting my arm around her. "It's gonna be better."

Sakuno nuzzled her head under my chin, the way Karupin did to Sakuno earlier. That gave me an inspiration.

Without giving Sakuno any warning, I turned around and started tickling Sakuno in the stomach. She scooted away from me, squealing. Despite the shock and what resembled betrayal on her face, I persevered. Sakuno couldn't resist squirming and giggling. I let a smile creep over my face.

I must have pushed a little too hard, because Sakuno tipped over backwards so that she was flat on her back. My legs straddled hers and my hands were on either side of her waist.

It was a couple of moments before either of us moved.

Sakuno sat up and pushed me away gently. I simply sat back as if nothing had happened, despite the urge to dash out of the house, screaming. She had a hand over her mouth and her cheeks were cherry-red.

After a while, I mumbled "Gomen."

Sakuno started shivering. Her shoulders shuddered and her hands were shaking. At first, I was horrified, thinking that she was crying. Then, I realized that the short gasps of air coming from her were laughs, the quick, strangled laughs one gets when they can't stop.

"Y-your face!" she managed. "The look on your f-f-face!" Sakuno leaned forward, way out of control of her hysterics.

This was not the quiet Sakuno that I knew.

"I'm sorry..." I said again, a little louder this time.

Sakuno shook one of her hands, fighting hard to control herself. Finally, the peals died down.

"That was totally uncalled for." she said, a remnant of a smile still on her face.

"Yeah, I didn't do that intentionally..."

"It's okay, but next time you want a kiss, just say that."

It was my face that turned bright red this time.

Sakuno tried to give me a quick peck on the cheek. At the last minute, I turned my head so that my lips met hers. Her eyes were wide, but she relaxed and put her hand on mine.

After about thirty seconds, Sakuno pulled back. Her eyes were bright and her face was flushed. I watched her face for a while.

"You didn't do that since the Winter Dance." she breathed.

I smiled. "No, I did not."

Sakuno smiled and rested her head on my shoulder. Soon enough, I heard her soft, even breaths, signaling sleep.

As I myself drifted off, I thought that if I could replay that moment every day, I would.


	7. Chapter 6

**Phoenix**

_AAARRGGGH! I haven't been able to write for a while, I'm so sorry! T^T But I hope, as always, that you will read and enjoy! And, again, any suggestions or critiquing is appreciated! (As usual, my predictions are wrong...this is the final real chapter! D:)_

**Chapter 6**

Mom was unusually quiet when she came home from work that day. She prepared dinner without making a sound and didn't reply to Sakuno when the latter asked her if she could help. Nanako and I exchanged glances, urging one another to ask what happened.

In the end, it was my remarkably stupid father who squeezed the story out of my mother. They went into their bedroom together and talked quickly in hushed tones.

After we cleared the table, an hour or so after dad and mom left, my dad came out and gently closed the door behind him. He waved us over.

"A guy jumped her today when she was walking home from the train station." he hissed. "She thinks it's the same guy who tried to break in, because he said something like 'You've got Ryuzaki'. Apparently, he said it in very accented Japanese."

"You're smarter than I thought you were." I grumbled, provoking a sharp glance from Sakuno and a rough elbow in the side from Nanako.

"Okay, but do we report that?" Sakuno asked.

Dad shrugged heavily. "I don't know if we should."

"Why not?"

"The guy might be in it with the cops. Because seriously, how would he know that you were here? Only a handful of people even knew you were back."

Sakuno bit her bottom lip, frustrated. "Then what do we _do_?"

Nanako cracked her knuckles. "I could call Ryoga and tell him to come here. Then maybe you guys'd be safer."

"Don't. He's busy. And I don't like him, anyways." I said.

Another jab from Nanako.

"I'll see." Dad rubbed his forehead the way he did when he was exasperated. "But for now..."

He never continued his sentence.

* * *

Once more, I woke up in the middle of the night to a sound. A gentle _clink clink_ sound from downstairs had been going on for a while. I sat up slowly and fumbled around for the metal baseball bat that I now kept by my bed. My fingers slid around its cool handle and tightened.

I crept out into the hallway. It didn't look like anyone else was up, but it was too dark to tell. I didn't want to take a flashlight, because it would give me away. As an alternative, I stood there, my eyes adjusting to the dimness.

That's when I realized that Sakuno's door was open.

For a moment, I forgot that there might be an intruder, and barged into the room, flipping on the light. Empty. Sakuno's bed was a mess, the sheets lumped and tangled. Her pillow was dented heavily on one side. Two dark stains that I didn't want to know the origins of blotted the blanket.

Her swiss army knife was gone, too.

I began turning on every light that I could reach. It was a terrible idea, as it gave whoever was downstairs an early warning; the clinking noise was gone. I dashed down the stairs and rounded into the kitchen with my baseball bat held up in front of me like a tennis racket.

Sakuno was there. In one hand was her knife, in the other a bottle of water. She wore a startled look on her face.

The scene would've been perfectly normal had there not been a masked man behind her with his elbow around her neck.

I roared and rushed them. The man tightened his grip on Sakuno. She winced and clutched her two items even more tightly. Her face was beginning to turn grey.

Growling, I stopped. I didn't want to hit Sakuno while going for the man. The man ripped off his ski mask with his free hand. He had handsome features; pale blonde hair, blue eyes, and high cheekbones. The features were definitely evidence of a Russian heritage.

Alyec Kovalev.

He shouted something at me in Russian, something that would probably get me hit by my parents or Nanako. I looked between him and Sakuno, who was slowly getting the life squeezed out of her.

"Let go of her!" I shouted.

Kovalev snarled at me and tried to drag Sakuno towards the back door, which I now saw was hacked open, probably with the ax that lay on the ground by it. I was stunned- what had Sakuno and her parents done to make an enemy out of a man like this? I charged at him again, but this time without my baseball bat.

Stupid idea. Kovalev let go of Sakuno and threw a strong punch to my face. It connected with my nose. Both Sakuno and I dropped like bags of wet cement. I felt warmth creep down my face and looked down to see a small puddle of crimson blood forming by my head. In the background, Sakuno screamed my name.

Someone thundered down the stairs. Thank goodness, it was Nanako, as angry as she ever was.

"You mothe-" she shouted. Nanako never even finished her sentence before he ran at her, fist out. Nanako was ready, though; a good roundhouse kick to the chest sent Kovalev into the wall. He slumped down but got up nearly immediately.

Sakuno was already sitting upright, rubbing her throat. "_What do you want from me?"_ she protested, hoarse from the choking.

Kovalev turned his attention away from Nanako. "What I want from you? Do you know what your father did to me and my family?"

Sakuno shook her head.

I groaned and pushed myself to my elbows. Kovalev stomped on my chest, knocking both the last of my energy and my breath out of me. Nanako threw what would have been a nasty punch at him, but he sidestepped and continued to rage at Sakuno.

"Your father! Nasty man! Made my family Christian with smooth words and bribery. I wasn't Christian! And someone suddenly convinced everyone that because I didn't believe in a God, I was Devil's spawn! A child of Satan! It was all your father's doing!"

Against her nature, Sakuno started yelling back, her voice cracking. "_My dad's already dead! What more do you WANT? Why is it my dad's fault that your parents are absolute whackjobs?"_

Kovalev jumped, using my body as a launchpad, and lunged at Sakuno. She scrambled to her feet and stumbled away just as Kovalev's hand reached her. Nanako followed him and grabbed at his shoulder. He just shrugged her away and kicked her expertly in the stomach. Nanako's breath caught in her throat and she fell on one knee. Sakuno shrieked and scooted backwards, her back slamming against the wall.

I groaned and rolled over, reaching one hand out to Sakuno, as if that would help her. My vision was blurred and I knew, by the pain in my chest, that a rib or five was broken.

Why weren't my parents coming down?

My thoughts were cluttered and random. Still, one thing prevailed: help Sakuno before Kovalev killed her. But Nanako and I couldn't do anything anymore. She had taken some of the hardest hits but kept going and look where that got her, while I was on the ground. Kovalev advanced on Sakuno, going slowly now that he had her trapped. Her knife was a good ten feet away, and she was defenseless.

We had all given up.

"Finally. Your whole family is dead." Kovalev spat at Sakuno's feet. Sakuno looked up at him with defiance, then glanced over at me. Her sudden courage was immediately extinguished. She squeezed her eyes tight. Beads of water began to form on her eyelashes, and her bottom lip trembled. Despite the situation, I felt proud of her for being strong until the very last minute. I closed my eyes too, not wanting to see her demise.

Suddenly, a hissing noise came from my left, and something warm darted past my elbow. Next minute, I heard Kovalev screaming in Russian. I opened my eyes.

Karupin was attached to Kovalev's face, acting more like a trained guard dog than an obese Himalayan cat. Deep, bloody scratches had appeared on Kovalev's skin, and Karupin had pulled out all the stops on his attack, biting and spitting and clawing. Sakuno slid away from the mess and came to me.

"Ryoma?" she said in a desperate voice. "What do I do?"

I smiled at her and, summoning up the last of my strength, whispered, "Knife." She got it immediately. Her hand flashed out, flicked open the knife, and, with careful precision comparable to that of an archer, threw it. The knife embedded itself into Kovalev's shoulder. He howled, threw off Karupin, and dashed out the destroyed back door.

A police officer tackled him.

Lights went on, and dozens of officers ran towards the two men struggling on the ground. I saw my father and mother. Mom was sobbing as she ran into the house and knelt by my side.

"_My son!" _she wailed. "_I'm so sorry! The phone lines were cut and we had to run to the station!" _With one more ear-splitting shriek, she buried her face in her hands. Dad stopped next to Alyec Kovalev and kicked him with all his might. Nanako was standing shakily on her feet with her arms around Sakuno. Sakuno was crying too, thick trails of water rolling down her face. But she was safe, and that was all I needed to see.

I groaned quietly and closed my eyes.


	8. Epilogue

**Phoenix**

_It's the end! NOOOO! :( I hope you enjoyed the story, and if I write more fanfiction in the future, please read! :D_

**Epilogue**

It is a bright summer day. Not a cloud hangs in the sky. There is a group of people gathered in a small gazebo next to a lake.

An elegant, leanly muscled young woman with midnight-blue hair sits on a white plastic chair, fiddling with the lace edge of her dress. Besides her is a tall, handsome man looking uncomfortable in a gray suit.

"Ugh. When is it going to start," he groans, checking his watch for the fifteenth time.

The young woman smacks him with the back of her hand. "Don't be rude! It's a special day, and we don't need you ruining it for them."

He grumbles, but pulls his sleeve back over his wrist.

Nearby, an older woman with her arm looped through that of an older man is talking loudly and cheerily to someone. "Yes, it's her, the same girl we took in a while back." she says with a dazzling smile. "It's quite fateful and coincidental, isn't it?"

The person she is talking to says something quietly, and the woman smiles even more widely. "But of course. They should be near here."

Over by the lake, right at the edge, a beautiful young lady wearing a white dress and bridal veil is looking down into the water at herself. Auburn locks fall around her china doll face, and her chocolate-colored eyes are wide with excitement.

_I'm actually getting married today_, she thinks. She self-consciously runs a hand over her dress.

A loud yelp comes from behind her, and she turns. Two girls, both her age, are running down the slope, to the lake, and to her.

"Oh my GOSH you are getting MARRIED today!" the taller of the two girls shrieks.

"Tomoka," the other scolds. "let's not make our girl here nervous."

Tomoka squeals, just as she always did during middle school and high school. "But seriously! I'm so happy for you!"

Someone calls from above, and Tomoka and the other girl turn. "Sorry, gotta go," Tomoka says to the bride. "You're starting soon, right? Good luck!" They run back up, dresses flowing in the light breeze.

The girl stands there, watching their retreating backs. It's hard to believe, how fast the years went by. Through high school and through college, she and her about-to-be husband were together, supporting each other and helping each other. Finally, her dreams are coming true.

A clearing of one's throat makes the girl turn around. The owner of the voice is none other than her husband, a man with dark green hair and piercing gold eyes. Although he's wearing a formal suit, he's holding a baseball hat in his hands and contemplating it as if he were considering putting it on.

"You ready?" he asks with a ghost of a smile.

The girl nods.

They walk up the slope together to the gazebo. Halfway up, however, the girl stops and looks up at the sky.

"I think Mother, Father, and especially Grandmother would have loved to be here," she murmurs.

The boy takes her hand. "They _are_ here, Ryuzaki."

The girl looks at him, and smiles.

A golden phoenix necklace flashes in the sunlight.


End file.
